24-Hour Akhand Dandvat Marathon, Johannesburg, South Africa

On 10 July 2004, youngsters and elders ranging in age from 10 to 65 participated in a 24-hour Akhand Dandvat Marathon – performing prostrations continuously over a 24-hour period.

All the participants began at 8.00 a.m. on Saturday 10 July. They had to perform dandvats for at least 30 minutes in every hour. A bell was rung every 30 minutes to indicate the end of each session.

The participants, inspired by their will to earn the blessings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Pramukh Swami Maharaj, surprised themselves with their stamina and ability to put in the physical effort required to complete this undertaking.

Some youths had even come from Durban and from Gabarone in Botswana to participate.

Others, unable to participate, helped by serving meals, snacks and drinks to participants and by providing encouragement at crucial times.

Two youths performed dandvats continuously over the 24-hour period. At a rough estimate, a total of over 72,500 dandvats were performed by the participants.